Haute-Garonne: To reopen Ramy’s green base, it has been placed under close watch

A few days before opening on Saturday 9th July, Ramee’s bathing area is undergoing a change. Seasonal workers fine-tune the final details before welcoming the public. At the top of the ladder, a few employees install the speakers. Others are completing the final preparations for the space that will be used as sanitary facilities. Fine sand is ready for towels, and the lawn is mowed. Preparations are about to end.

Before the start signal, Toulouse Metropole has to emphasize safety only. “There is a swimming area. Outside of this place, everyone is taking a risk,” warns Dominique Foucher, Mayor of Turnville.

Every year, La Remy Lake experiences many drownings. To avoid these tragedies, which occur regularly outside the shower area, Toulouse Metropole plays the card of prevention. Signs have been placed along the lake and patrols will rotate the water body to deter unsupervised swimming.

safety first ?

Each year, most of the site’s drowning sinkers fall outside the observation areas. For us, 40 hectares is difficult to monitor,” says Philip Plantad, city vice president in charge of recreation rules.

For this summer, Toulouse Metropole and Tournauil City Council set up a system. The shower area will be supervised by 7 lifeguards who will take turns to welcome the crowd over an extended period of time. 12 security guards deter any rudeness. At night, the dog handler also makes the rounds. “Of course, we also appeal to responsibility. The summer will be hot, but we would like to respect the regulations. Bathing outside of space is very dangerous,” insists Philip Plantad.

Toulouse Metropole spent approximately 260 thousand euros to create this system. The supervised area can accommodate more than 1,500 people. Over the course of the two months, nearly 20,000 bathers reached the waters of this regulated area.

Swimming with strict rules

Among the threats of drowning, and especially the bluntness of the beach, it was also necessary to make a regulation. And at this point, the laws are like municipal swimming pools in a city. Swimming is prohibited for unaccompanied children under the age of ten. Only swimwear is allowed. Official ban on soaking while fully dressed.

“It is important to allow swimming in good conditions. We will do our best to enforce the regulations. The police will conduct random checks, but it will be difficult to control every square meter of the base,” warns the mayor of Turnvoy. The bathing area at the green base of La Ramée remains open until August 28.